1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to catheters, and, in particular, relates to a method for manufacturing a catheter used in delivery of interventional medical devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Catheters are used in medical procedures to deliver interventional devices or implants to treatment sites. In the treatment of the neurovasculature, the clinician may use a microcatheter to navigate through the tortuous neurovasculature. A microcatheter provides a conduit through which various interventional devices may be introduced to treat a malformation within the neurovasculature. Exemplary interventional devices may include an intravascular stent, embolic coils, a flow diverter, a flow restoration device and/or a liquid embolic.
Catheters may also be components of delivery systems used to deliver stent. One typical stent delivery system includes a balloon catheter where the stent is positioned on the balloon of the catheter. The catheter is advanced within the vasculature to a targeted site and the balloon expanded to correspondingly expand the stent against the vessel wall. Another stent delivery system, for a self-expanding stent, may include inner and outer catheters. The stent is constrained within the outer catheter and advanced to the targeted site. The outer catheter is thereafter retracted, or the inner catheter advanced, to expose the stent, which self-expands, for application against the vessel wall.
When deploying interventional devices, resistance often occurs between the device and the inner surface of the catheter lumen. The generally smooth inner lumen of the catheter often increases resistance. Common methods of reducing resistance between the device and the lumen include lubricious coatings, catheter material selection, or the inclusion of an additional catheter lining. Another issue associated with catheter manufacture is the difficulty associated with assembly and disassembly of the catheter components relative to the mandrel(s) used in the process. In a typical process, various tubings, linings and/or coils to be incorporated within the catheter are positioned on one or more mandrels, and subjected to treatment such as application of thermal energy, e.g., to connect the components. However, subsequent to treatment, separation of the catheter components from the mandrel(s) often presents obstacles due to the reduction in the diameter of the innermost component adjacent the mandrel.